I couldn't get a flight to Indy with my air miles so I am going to land in Cincinnati instead. Where is the best and cheapest place to rent a care for 1 week? I am guessing the airport terminal for ease of pickup and drop off?

Go to Travelocity, they have almost every car rental place available. The problem with renting a car in one state and driving it to another is some of the better deals require that you stay within the same state.

You might be better off taking a bus to Indy, then renting a car there. Or just use Uber/Lyft while in Indy.

You take an uber or lyft to a bus location.
Take the bus to Indy.
That'll cost you basically 10 dollars.
Take an uber or lyft to the hotel/con. Or uber/lyft to get around in Indy. You do not need a rental car to get to your hotel every day.

Or just call the nearest car rental place at the airport, rent the cheapest car and pay 350 bucks for a week, get ready to pay for parking garages, and be done with it.

I've only rented a car twice in my life and was kind of random the second time. Usually for my travel needs I go to Travelocity. Looking right now, I can see several rentals out of Cincinnati for a little under $400 (after taxes and fees) for the week for pickup on July 30th (Monday -- three days before the convention).

You will be able to pick these up at the airport. They run shuttle services that take you from the terminal to the rental car station. Just go to Travelocity as soon as possible and get booking.

If you are flying into CVG, try to get a car rental place in Cincinnati instead of Covington Ky, its about $100 cheaper that way due to taxes and fees for renting from the airport. I would find one on google and just take an uber from the airport to the car rental place.

 masashigi wrote:If you are flying into CVG, try to get a car rental place in Cincinnati instead of Covington Ky, its about $100 cheaper that way due to taxes and fees for renting from the airport. I would find one on google and just take an uber from the airport to the car rental place.

Oh CVG is in Kentucky? I didn't know that. Going to cost about $400 for a week last I checked. Still checking my options.

If you rent a car in Kentucky, make absolutely sure that they allow you to drive to another state. Even if you are returning at the same airport, if they find out you left the state, there are often steep penalties. And if they do allow it, the charge might be significantly higher.

From where you say you're staying in Indy, it seems to be about 7 or 8 miles to the ICC. I still think that bus from where you arrive to Indy, then Uber/Lyft around Indy for 4 days would be much cheaper. Or, if you must have a car, bus to Indy, then rent a car locally in Indy, then bus back to your departure.

 masashigi wrote:If you are flying into CVG, try to get a car rental place in Cincinnati instead of Covington Ky, its about $100 cheaper that way due to taxes and fees for renting from the airport. I would find one on google and just take an uber from the airport to the car rental place.

Oh CVG is in Kentucky? I didn't know that. Going to cost about $400 for a week last I checked. Still checking my options.

 dkrantz152 wrote:If you rent a car in Kentucky, make absolutely sure that they allow you to drive to another state. Even if you are returning at the same airport, if they find out you left the state, there are often steep penalties. And if they do allow it, the charge might be significantly higher.
From where you say you're staying in Indy, it seems to be about 7 or 8 miles to the ICC. I still think that bus from where you arrive to Indy, then Uber/Lyft around Indy for 4 days would be much cheaper. Or, if you must have a car, bus to Indy, then rent a car locally in Indy, then bus back to your departure.

I got to plan well. Didn't know that they charge for going out of state. How would they know anyway?

I arrive 2 days before the con so I have time to orient myself. I am going to stay at a bnb instead and the guy said he could give me a ride for a small fee. In this case I may not need a car except I am staying for 1 week til the 7th,

 masashigi wrote:If you are flying into CVG, try to get a car rental place in Cincinnati instead of Covington Ky, its about $100 cheaper that way due to taxes and fees for renting from the airport. I would find one on google and just take an uber from the airport to the car rental place.

Oh CVG is in Kentucky? I didn't know that. Going to cost about $400 for a week last I checked. Still checking my options.

How do I get from the CVG airport to the mega bus stop and also back to the airport later? Ahh ..Uber or Lfyft as suggested. Never used uber or Lyft so I will put the app in my cell phone now. How much would that cost approx.?

I got to plan well. Didn't know that they charge for going out of state. How would they know anyway?

Under ideal circumstances, they wouldn't. However, Murphy's Law always has the upper hand.

A single interaction with the police, fender-bender, parking ticket, and they will. Also, some rental cars have On-Star, which knows where you are, and a lot have LoJack (theft-tracking system).

Also, since you're from Canada, make sure your car insurance covers US rentals. If you have to get insurance from the rental company (badly overpriced), and they find out you went out of state, they can refuse to cover the claim.

Basically, not worth risking it.

ETA: In areas like the midwest, when border crossing is more common, they may allow interstate travel with no surcharge. When I've rented cars in LA & Miami, it was all in-state, but considering the size of those states, it makes sense. Certainly cars rented at CVG should not have a charge to go to Ohio, since CVG is the airport that services Cincinnati, but that doesn't mean you can go to Indiana. You have to check with the different rental companies and see what they offer.